CleanupBot II at 09:27, 14 August 2023

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name =Kuntasi
|natiave name =
|settlement_type=Archeological site
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|pushpin_map=India
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|subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
|subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
|subdivision_name1 =[[Gujarat]]
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|timezone = Indian Standard Time
|utc_offset = +5.30
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|coordinates = {{coord|22|54|32|N|70|35|30|E|region:IN|display=inline,title}}
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'''Kuntasi''' is an archaeological site (locally known as ''Bibi-no-Timbo'') which is identified as a port belonging to the [[Indus Valley civilization]].<ref>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=The Ancient Indus Valley : New Perspectives|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=9781576079072|pages=173}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Ancient+Indus+Valley&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7LjqT_-1NITRrQfAudGxBQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dwaraka&f=false]</ref> This site is located on the right bank of Phulki River, about 3 km south-east of Kuntasi village<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jul10/articles29.htm|title=Ancient shorelines of Gujarat, India, during the Indus civilization (Late Mid-Holocene): A study based on archaeological evidences|author=Gaur, A.S.and K.H. Vora|publisher=Current Science|date=10 July 1999}}</ref> and 30 km from [[Morbi]] in [[Maliya]] taluka of [[Morbi District]] in [[Gujarat]] state of [[India]].<ref name="Mehta2009">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyc5QwAACAAJ|title=History of International Trade and Customs Duties in Gujarat|last=Mehta|first=Makrand|publisher=Darshak Itihas Nidhi|year=2009|location=Vadodara|pages=29|chapter=Echoes from the Lothal - Harappan Civilization|oclc=439922062}}</ref> It is five km inlandward from present shore line. It was first reported by P. P Pandya and later thoroughly explored by Y. M. Chitalwala. The excavations revealed two periods of occupation. Period I is assigned to the Mature Harappan phase (c. 2200–1900 BCE) and the Period II is assigned to the Late Harappan phase (c.1900–1700 BCE).<ref>Ray, Niharranjan (gen. ed.) (2000). ''A Sourcebook of Indian Civilization'', Kolkata: Orient Longman, {{ISBN|81-250-1871-9}}, p.569</ref> This site was identified as a jetty and a manufacturing centre.<ref>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=The Ancient Indus Valley : New Perspectives|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=9781576079072|pages=173}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Ancient+Indus+Valley&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7LjqT_-1NITRrQfAudGxBQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dwaraka&f=false]</ref>

==Area==
Kuntasi had 2 hectares of walled town and unwalled suburbs.<ref>McIntosh, Jane.(2008) The Ancient Indus Valley, New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. Page 220</ref> A stone platform ran along the western side of wall. It appears to have been a planned settlement, established for production, storage and movement of goods.<ref>McIntosh, Jane.(2008) The Ancient Indus Valley, New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. Page 221</ref>

==Architecture==
The excavated site consists of two parts, a two hectare walled settlement and unwalled suburbs. A stone platform ran along the western side of the wall, and adjoining this inside the walled town were a substantial industrial complex and a number of storage facilities. A centrally placed house with a number of rooms, including a private kitchen was found. Other houses lay in the north and west of the walled area, mostly large rectangular buildings. The houses in Kuntasi were built on stone foundations with walls of mud bricks in Harappan proportion but unusually large. In the southwestern corner, a large isolated room was found, which has been identified as a kitchen serving most of the settlement. The buildings were arranged around a large open space. However, the town of Kuntasi lacked Citadel which was prominent in bigger towns like [[Kalibangan]], [[Dholavira]], [[Banawali]] etc. belonging to Indus Valley Civilisation.<ref>McIntosh, Jane.(2008) The Ancient Indus Valley, New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. Page 226</ref> A jetty (platform) for unloading and loading cargo on the boats going down the creek is also identified.<ref name="Mehta2009" />

===Double wall===
Kuntasi had a double wall, built out of boulders and mud, separated by a passage with a width of about 20 meters.<ref>McIntosh, Jane.(2008) The Ancient Indus Valley, New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. Page 224</ref> Southernwest corner of town had a tower, and eastern side had a gate flanked by guard chambers, presumably to control public access to the walled area.<ref>McIntosh, Jane.(2008) The Ancient Indus Valley, New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. P 224</ref>

==Artifacts found==
Pottery with drawings were found. Two cylindrical stone anchors, suggesting seaborne activity was also found.<ref>Ancient shorelines of Gujarat, India, during the Indus civilization (Late Mid-Holocene): A study based on archaeological evidences by A. S. Gaur and K. H. Vora.Marine Archaeology Centre, National Institute of Oceanography,</ref> A small pot with copper hoard, few copper bangles, two finger rings and more than thousand micro beads of [[Soapstone|steatite]] were also found. Other artifacts include cubical chart weights, tools made of bones, terracotta toy carts, agate and carnelian goods.<ref name="Mehta2009" />

==Importance==
Kuntasi was similar to [[Lothal]], another port town of IVC, though on a smaller scale.<ref>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=The Ancient Indus Valley : New Perspectives|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=9781576079072|pages=173}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Ancient+Indus+Valley&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7LjqT_-1NITRrQfAudGxBQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dwaraka&f=false]</ref> [[Lapis lazuli|Lapis Lazuli]] was found in unusual large quantity in this settlement, indicating that it was exported to [[Mesopotamia]], as lapis lazuli was known to have been an important export item from IVC to Mesopotamia.<ref>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=The Ancient Indus Valley : New Perspectives|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=9781576079072|pages=173}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Ancient+Indus+Valley&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7LjqT_-1NITRrQfAudGxBQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dwaraka&f=false]</ref> It is also suggested that a land route connected this site to Lothal via [[Rangpur, Gujarat]].<ref>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=The Ancient Indus Valley : New Perspectives|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=9781576079072|pages=173}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Ancient+Indus+Valley&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7LjqT_-1NITRrQfAudGxBQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dwaraka&f=false]</ref>

==See also==

* [[Hydraulic engineering of the Indus Valley Civilization]]
* [[Indus Valley civilization]]
* [[List of Indus Valley Civilization sites]]
* [[List of inventions and discoveries of the Indus Valley Civilization]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indus Valley civilisation sites]]
[[Category:Former populated places in India]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Villages in Morbi district]]

Kuntasi - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 09:27, 14 August 2023